Every day, I find myself saying, “India is so colossal!” And it truly is. In just five weeks, I feel like I’ve done it all—marvelling at the terrifically towering Taj Mahal in Agra, celebrating the once-every-144-years Maha Kumbh Mela festival amongst the countless pilgrims pouring into Varanasi, paragliding over the mesmerising mountains in Lonavala, and…Continue Reading A Colossal World
In just one week, I’ll be back in New Zealand. Time has flown by, and I can’t wait to share what I’ve been up to. Spoiler alert – it includes a visit to the High Court of Bombay, camel riding in Rajasthan, and watching my dad umpire an international cricket match. Let’s get into it……Continue Reading One Month in India: Courtrooms, Camels & Cricket
The title is not an exaggeration! Arrival 🛬 Arriving here, I was expecting a city a bit busier than Auckland — noisier too. I was expecting the weather to be slightly warm (even though it is winter in Mumbai) and public transport to be easy to manoeuvre. But I was off target on so many…Continue Reading Keeping Pace with Mumbai’s Heartbeat
It’s beautiful how the stories we tell can come full circle. Recently, I spoke to my congregation about seeing the face of God in the least among us. To illustrate this point, I shared a story about a woman who receives this letter from God: “I will be coming over for dinner tonight. Please prepare…Continue Reading The Face of God in Mumbai
After leaving my heart in Aotearoa, my body and soul boarded a plane to begin a new adventure in Mumbai! With the feeling of nervousness, excitement, and perhaps dread for the unknown, nothing would have ever prepared me for what was in store. Noise, heat, and colour are only a few words to describe the…Continue Reading Big City, Bigger Dreams: Navigating the Mumbai Madness
The past few weeks in Mumbai have been amazing to say the least. It’s been great finding my bearings and slipping into the rhythm of this city. I’ve really welcomed this change in pace. Although I love the laid-back lifestyle in New Zealand, the constant hustle and bustle of this city has been exhilarating –…Continue Reading Settling into a New ‘Normal’ – Lessons, Reflections, Adventures
Taj time! We had our first opportunity to venture into the north of India with our weekend trip to Delhi and Agra. I was a bit nervous about this trip, because Delhi doesn’t quite have Mumbai’s safety reputation, but luckily we were able to make a solid safety net of sticking together and hiring a…Continue Reading Dharavi to Delhi
Before I begin, I thought I would impart some of the wisdom I have learnt here. How to cross the road in Mumbai: How to avoid being scammed in Mumbai: Trip to Rajasthan One of the most incredible places I have visited on this trip is the desert near Jaisalmer, a town in the state…Continue Reading Deserts & Dreams
Just like that, it’s over. Six weeks have come and gone like the blink of an eye. I swear yesterday I was meeting the others in the airport to fly out. It seems a little bittersweet – we all leave the airport, go our separate ways, back to our real lives. Will we keep in…Continue Reading Alvida
Bucket lists. What are they, why do we make them? According to Stanford, a bucket list is an itemised list of goals, experiences or achievements that people want to accomplish before they “kick the bucket” — or die. I made my first and only bucket list when I was 12. For me, the things I…Continue Reading Bucket List